How to Improve Your PPC Landing Page Conversions

If you run a PPC campaign, you probably already know many of the solid ways to help make your campaign cost effective. For example, you probably know not to bid too high, you probably know to use the actual keywords in the ad, and that you should have a landing page that is relevant to the subject the visitor searched for. But are you really getting the most out of your campaigns?

There are many easy things you can do to increase the effectiveness of your PPC campaigns. Here are a few handy tips:

1. Make Sure Your Landing Page is Targeted
   More and more often now, PPC ads lead a visitor to a page that reflects their search, at least in some way. If a searcher is looking for "roses", generally the PPC landing page will be about roses, and not just flowers in general. This generally results in a greater conversion rate for the vendor, and a more comfortable and streamlined experience for the visitor. Don't make customers search across your site for the "roses"! There's no reason for them to search your site, unless they feel they already have a relationship with you. But landing the visitor on the "roses" page can still be a bit of a blunt technique. Instead, if a visitor was searching for "red roses", why not land them on a page that shows them "red roses"? There is also the possibility that having a more relevant landing page can lower your overall PPC costs over time, thanks to search engines using techniques like landing page quality scores. With Yahoo now evaluating ad quality, there's no time like the present to take an inventory of your landing pages.
2. Make Converting Easy
   One of the most effective things you can do to improve PPC conversions is to make converting easy. Go a step further than showing crimson roses for a visitor who looked for "red roses". Why not put the order form right on the landing page? This provides the visitor with an easy way to purchase your roses, without having to make the leap of faith that an order form is to be found at all on your site. Help the visitor know what to do to convert - show them the form and invite them to fill it out.
3. Add an Incentive
   When a visitor arrives on your site from a PPC ad, you have already paid for that visitor. But the visitor probably doesn't know or care! By adding a small incentive for the visitor to convert, it is frequently possible to increase conversions. This can be especially true if the incentive is time-sensitive. For example, a customer might see, "The first 100 customers will receive 10% off - You are customer #90!"
4. Test Different Versions
   Many businesses feel they "know" their customers. However, there is no substitute for testing out different techniques. Simple A/B testing can help you find out what offers and messaging the market best responds to. It's amazing sometimes how a simple change of color or moving an image can have a big impact on conversions. You can even use the Google Website Optimizer Tool to help analyze your landing page effectiveness.
5. Streamline the Navigation
   Sometimes, more isn't better. When it comes to landing pages, less can definitely be more. In your landing page testing, consider removing elements of the navigation that may distract the visitor from converting. For example, if your landing page is about "red roses", you have paid for a visitor who is interested about "red roses". In this case, there is no need for a link to news releases or your corporate information - try to keep the visitor focused on converting.

There are many techniques which can be employed to help your landing pages convert better. Hopefully, these tips will help you increase the efficiency of your landing pages, and the overall cost effectiveness of your PPC ad spend.